<p>i have been looking into lacs and was woundering what are a few good lacs for urm . So far im looking at bowdoin , bates and holly cross cuz they are sat opt. and because of that i think i have the best shot any other good places to look .</p>
<p>It's hard to recommend schools without knowing a little more about you. How are your grades? What kind of location would you like to be in? Do you know what you might major in? Are you an international student, and will you need financial aid?</p>
<p>This may not feel like friendly advice but it is: when writing to colleges or asking parents questions, don't use text speak or slang. "I'm," not "im." "because," not "cuz." "SAT," not "sat." "Bowdoin, Bates, Holy Cross," not "bowdoin, bates, holly cross" and, yes, make sure you spell it "Holy" not "Holly." </p>
<p>College application, including asking for advice, is a formal process, as much so as a professional job interview. Treat it seriously.</p>
<p>Otherwise, what Weenie said.</p>
<p>^he talks worse then i do...</p>
<p>the holly cross thing reminded me of what we would say me and my friends when our friend holly would surprise us/do something bad when we were at camp...we would say holly s*** instead of holy s***</p>
<p>Um i live in south florida and attend a pretty ok college prep chart high school . im ranked 26/380 .my un weighted GPA is 3.45 and weighted is like 4.3. Im going into my senior year and have taking 3 AP's (although i did bearly ok ). I will be taking 3 aps next year ( ap lit gov and phy C . I will have 4 years of english , 4 years of math up college alg/cal. 4 yeas of history and 4 years of languade (2 french 2 spanish) .
I have really good community service ,in my opinion wich is why i am trying lacs because they look more at the total package the say UF .</p>
<p>I have been a class officer for 3 years
class prez for 2
Key club (4 yr) Prez in 11th
over 500 hours volunteer
two (v) sports
a full time job ( 35+ ) since summer of 10th grade
and alot more i dont feel like typing </p>
<p>i think im a good student but my test scores are what killin me</p>
<p>ACt 24 SAT 1060/1600</p>
<p>i am a hard worker and will try and show that in my apps .
i really want a major university in a city but thanks too my poor test scores ,UF/fsu would prooly be the best i can do </p>
<p>i no im not a great student but i work hard and have given up alot to study so wouls like to get in the best school possible . </p>
<p>Im black and second generation (my mom went to community college shes a nurse )
Im middle class and come from a single parent household . </p>
<p>my counselor to me to look at the LACS in the north ,especially bates cause he thinks i will have an ok shot especially cuz the sat opt. </p>
<p>do u guys have any other ideas </p>
<p>oh i wana major in econ and poly sci</p>
<p>Well I apologize, I did not know an internet forum was so formal; I have a lot of stuff to do and type really slow. I will make sure I know for next time.</p>
<p>In addition to the info about your ECs, grades, etc. that you've provided, it would be helpful to us to know what you want out of your college experience.</p>
<p>For instance, you live in south Florida: Do you really want to spend 9 months a year in the north where days are short and gray, and it's very cold for about 6 months of the year? </p>
<p>Would you be happy attending a LAC that's in a very small town where the only URMs around are the students on campus and a few faculty members?</p>
<p>Do you think you'd want to be able to go home easily for long weekends or even regular weekends, something that would be difficult from many northern LACs due to their isolationm weather conditions (i.e. snowy roads, blizzards, etc.), and distance from Florida?</p>
<p>There are LACs right in Florida like Stetson, Eckard, Flagler and Rollins where you would be able to have the independence of living away from home, but still relatively easily be able to travel home, and not have to worry about adapting to snow, etc. You'd also be able to use your Bright Futures scholarship at those (I'm assuming you'd qualify for at least the 75% tuition one), and may also get merit aid.</p>
<p>Since you like LACs, also look at New College, a small, public university in Fla. that is similar to LACs.</p>
<p>Bates, Bowdoin, etc may be SAT optional, but they will pick up on your academic ability from other aspects of your application.</p>
<p>By virtue of your actual scores, I would say that Bates and Bowdoin are way out of your reach.</p>
<p>Eckerd, Stetson, and Flagler seem like much more reasonable choices.</p>
<p>B, I sympathize with typing slow but a lot of this game, and a lot of things in life, are dependent upon the impression you make. Right, wrong, or indifferent, people are going to make snap judgments as to whether or not you're worth their time. Think of it as the equivalent of going to an interview recently bathed and neatly dressed. Trust me, you never know when someone's positive impression is going to pay off. As in, someone who doesn't hire you may still see a lot of good qualities in you and recommend you to someone else...and you'd never if they hadn't.</p>
<p>"a full time job ( 35+ ) since summer of 10th grade"</p>
<p>Are you doing this during the school year, too?</p>
<p>I also suggest that you learn to type quickly because it will be hard for you to write all the papers you'll have to do in college if you don't increase your typing speed. There are some computer programs that you can get that will help you learn touch typing or you could just keep practicing on your own.</p>
<p>The reason I was looking at Bates is because an admissions counselor personally called me and told me he wanted me to come see the school , and apply ( before this I never heard of Bates in my life ). I said Bowdoin because my guidance counselor said apply there because he knows a few people and think I have a chance
(He said “that it is a crapshoot there so it wont hurt”) .He said they would value me as being well rounded because of the other stuff I do out side of school (I never heard of this school and don’t really know anything about it hence why I am here). As for Stetson and Rollins I would like to leave Florida if I don’t get into UF or FSU. In the state of Florida FSU/UF rules and here in Miami, UM rules. Most don't know anything about those schools.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about LACS; my counselor keeps telling me to look into them.
The only LAC I know in Morehouse. That is why I am here trying to get some feedback.</p>
<p>yea thats one of the reasons he said i have a shot at good schools because I have work very hard to support my family .</p>
<p>Since you are working to support your family, I don't think it's realistic to go out of state. If you go out of state, even with generous financial aid, you'll still need more money than you would by going in state because of transportation costs and things like having to buy lots of new clothing, which you'd have to do if you change climates. If you have to work now to support your family, how will they get along without your help when you go to college?</p>
<p>UF, FSU and UM may "rule" in Fla., but at least in Fla. people still are far more likely to have heard of colleges like Ekerd and Rollins than they will have heard of far away colleges like Bates and Bowdoin even though Bates and Bowdoin may be ranked higher.</p>
<p>In addition, if you go up North to college, your school year there will end close to the end of May, making it very difficult for you to find a summer job at home. You also aren't likely to be able to get much if any help finding a job at home from a northern college's alum network or career placement office.</p>
<p>Places like Bates have a very difficult time attracting URMs because they are in very cold, isolated small towns with little diversity. That's why they're willing to fly you up to visit and call you. Really think hard about it: Do you really want to go that far away to a college that most people in your part of the country have never heard of, where there will be very few people who are African American, and from where it will be hard for you to visit your family and obtain summer employment?</p>
<p>Morehouse has an excellent reputation of being a good college for African American males, and has a strong alum network that probably also can help you in south Fla. I think that it would do better by you than the places you've listed.</p>
<p>I think that you also should apply to some of your in state public and private schools because you are more likely to be able to afford them, and not have to deal with transportation and other difficulties like buying a new wardrobe for a new climate, something you'd even have to do in Atlanta.</p>
<p>Your counselor is very right about the value of LAC's. In many ways, you can get a much better education at an LAC that at a university. You won't fall through the cracks and the classroom experience, due to the smaller classes, can be phenomenal. TheMom has worked at UCLA for more than 25 years...our daughter attends an LAC.</p>
<p>Which two varsity sports? Some LAC's prize athletes highly. Your test scores will kill you at the most competitive LAC's but I'd still take a number of LAC's over, say, FSU. I'll disagree with SES: your scores are low for Bates but as a URM, if you have some other compensating factors, you might get in.
I know someone who went to Bates and if she's any indication of what goes on there, it's a very good school. Be prepared for the cold, however.</p>
<p>NSM, what would you think about Goucher for Bahamas?</p>
<p>I couldn't find much info on the Lewiston, Maine web site about that city where Bates is located, but this is what Wikipedia says:</p>
<p>"Lewiston, in Androscoggin County, is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Maine. The estimated 2007 population was 37,734....</p>
<p>"As of the censusGR2 of 2000, ....The racial makeup of the city was 95.75% White, 1.07% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population. "</p>
<p>Average high temperatures in Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb. and March were: 46, 33, 29, 32, 41, and the average lows for those months were: 8, 1, 13, -2, 0 and 5. </p>
<p>Would you really want to live there?</p>
<p>I suggest that you find out similar info about other LACs you're considering, and also consider your answers to the questions I listed previously.</p>
<p>TheDad,
I think that any student who has to work a virtually fulltime job throughout the school year in order to help support his family probably needs to go to college relatively close to home.</p>
<p>If he wants a LAC, there are good LACs in Fla. that can give him a nice education while also being close enough that he can visit his family, not have to obtain a winter wardrobe, be off early enough in the summer to obtain summer employment at home, and not have to deal with the kind of major culture shock he'd have to cope with by going very far away to college, including to Goucher.</p>
<p>Even with very generous financial aid and going in state to a public or private university, college will still cause financial strain on the OP and his family, so I think he should opt for the most realistic and affordable options, which probably would be going to college in or relatively close to his hometown. There are several colleges in Fla. that can give him the good education and small classes that he apparently desires for his college experience.</p>
<p>Oh, my son will be going to Rollins, which according to U.S. News last year is the best liberal arts college in the region. They also just became SAT optional and have some very nice merit aid, and are trying to attract more minorities. Since they're just outside of Orlando, they combine the best of being in a small city, but 5 minutes away from a large one. :)</p>
<p>Well my mom said she understands everything that I have given up and said she is willing to max out credits card and sell the house to put me through school because she knows it our ticket to a better future. Cold weather, I will just have to deal I guess I been through much worst and I really need a change. I can always find a job up north some where .My guidance counselor also said I will get a lot of aid more so then school down here because of there endowment I think its call . Plus I guess there is always a loan. I play football and track and field but not good enough for college. Also the reason I was looking at those two LAC's is because there SAT opt. and I have a ok GPA with hard course load, and good rank (at least I think). Oh as for clothes u can find some really nice things in the thrift store, seriously. I really would like to get out of Miami for couple of years.</p>
<p>In my opinion, it would be a mistake for your mom to max out credit cards and sell the house when you could have a good education in Fla., and also would probably have better job opportunities by staying in state.</p>
<p>It is very unlikely that you can get heavy winter clothing at thrift stores in Miami. You also may have a hard time even getting to thrift stores up north depending on where you would choose to go to school due to transportation problems.</p>
<p>There are private colleges in Fla. that may give excellent need-based and merit aid to a hardworking, URM like you. As mentioned before, Rollins just became SAT optional and has some excellent merit aid. </p>
<p>Places like Bowdoin and Bates are known in New England, but most people elsewhere have never heard of them. Goucher is known in Baltimore, but isn't that well known elsewhere. </p>
<p>Fla. is a very big state, and you can have a change from Miami by going to college in another part of Fla.</p>
<p>You can't always find a job up North somewhere. Some of the colleges that you're considering are in very small towns with high unemployment. Maine, for instance, has major economic problems.</p>